A20762:455
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties
A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helps enabling & the reasons persuading unto it the impediments hindering the practise of it, and the best means to remove them whereunto are added divers prayers and a treatise of carnal security by John Douname Bachelor in Divinity and minister of Gods Word.A guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties wherein it consisteth, the helpes inabling & the reasons parswading vnto it ye impediments hindering ye practise of it, and the best meanes to remoue them whereunto are added diuers prayers and a treatise of carnall securitie by Iohn Douname Batcheler in Diuinitie and minister of Gods Word.
London: printed by Felix Kingstone and William Stansby for Ed, 1622
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. Sect. 3 Of rejoicing in God, what it is, and the means whereby we may attain unto it.
§. Sect. 3 Of reioycing in God, what it is, and the meanes wherby we may attaine vnto it.
The second virtue arising from love, is joy and rejoicing in God, when being assured of his love towards us, and loving him again, tasting for the present, how good the Lord is, and persuading our selves of the full fruition of him in the life to come, we are exceedingly delighted, and even glory in the assurance and sense of Gods favour. For it is the nature of love to make us rejoice in the thing beloved: and as the more excellent any thing is in our conceit, the more our love exceedeth, so according to the measure of our love, such also is our joy when we enjoy it. And therefore needs must our joy and rejoicing in God exceed all other joy, because our love ought to be proportioned to his goodness and excellency, and our joy to our love. In which respect, this divine joy swalloweth up all worldly grief, and causeth us to glory, not only in worldly prosperity, but also in persecution and tribulation. 1And this is that joy unto which the Scriptures exhort us: Rejoice in the 2Lord alway, and again, I say, Rejoice. Rejoice evermore. Delight thy self in the Lord, and he will give thee the desires of thine heart. Which if we attain unto, then have we even in this life, the first beginnings of our heavenly happiness. For as the Apostle teacheth us, the Kingdom of God 3consisteth in righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost. Now the means to obtain this joy, is to labour after assurance that we are united unto Christ; for we cannot have it in our selves, but in, and through him: according to that of the Apostle, We joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, 4